Common name:
Rush lemonweed
Family:
Scientific name:
Psoralidium junceum
Main flower color:
Range:
Far southern Utah, and adjoining northern Arizona
Height:
Up to 3 feet
Habitat:
Sand dunes, rocky slopes, salty flats, from 3,300 to 5,700 feet
Leaves:
Gray-green, trifoliate, long-stalked, mainly at the base
Season:
April to June
Psoralidium junceum is an uncommon species with limited distribution; a small area either side of the Utah/Arizona border, most common on and around the northern Paria Plateau. Plants are much branched perennials, with hundreds of slender, wiry stems, mixed with dead stems from previous years, mostly leafless at maturity, sometimes with just a few small basal leaves; these are divided into three narrow leaflets, grayish-green in color, with a covering of short, appressed hairs.
Flowers are produced in opposite pairs, ascending, along the upper portion of the stems. Stems and calyces are sparsely covered by short hairs. Calyces are divided into four lobes, asymmetrically positioned. Flowers are uniformly deep purple, with a broad banner petal, two wing petals, similar in size to the banner, and a much smaller keel.
Flowers are produced in opposite pairs, ascending, along the upper portion of the stems. Stems and calyces are sparsely covered by short hairs. Calyces are divided into four lobes, asymmetrically positioned. Flowers are uniformly deep purple, with a broad banner petal, two wing petals, similar in size to the banner, and a much smaller keel.
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